1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a protective pad, in general, and to a pad installed between the surface of a vehicle and a protective bedliner therewith, in particular.
2. Prior Art
Up until 1978, vehicle owners wishing to transport cargo, especially pickup truck owners, were faced with the prospect that sooner or later the cargo carrying area of their vehicle would suffer significant wear and tear damage, especially paint deterioration. This damage and deterioration was largely due to the loading and unloading of cargo, as well as the shifting thereof relative to the truck bed. This problem of cargo area wear and tear and paint deterioration meant that constant maintenance was required, especially with regard to repainting and the incidence of rust and related damage.
Several versions of a protective liner for the cargo carrying area of a vehicle have been marketed with the goal of protecting these areas of the vehicle against wear and tear related to cargo carrying activities, especially damages due to shifting cargo and related stress and abrasive activity. These liners offered the ability to control the wear and tear on the cargo carrying areas of a vehicle, yet did not require substantial, permanent, expensive alterations. A liner could be installed with a minimum commitment of time and money and, if circumstances dictated, they could also be removed or replaced with similar commitments of time and money.
Following the introduction of protective cargo area bedliners, it soon became clear that while these liners represented substantial advances in controlling vehicle wear and tear, they were not, by themselves, a complete solution to the problem. That is, while these liners prevented many forms of damage to the vehicles in which they were installed, they also created certain problems of their own.
By design, these liners are placed directly upon the cargo carrying area or bed of the vehicle. These areas, like all other areas of the vehicle, are painted for aesthetic reasons as well as to avoid rust related problems and as such are subject to paint deterioration caused by the constant abrasive contact between the liner and these painted surfaces.